Tilt

by Jone Rush MacCulloch

Ten-year-old Darrah says "Tilt" when her world shifts. Her parents get divorced. She and her bestie argue. Then she meets a new friend, Jackson, hanging upside down in the neighborhood oak. She starts fifth grade hoping for a positive tilt. Then Jackson dies.

Told through a series of accessible, age-appropriate poems, Tilt explores grief, guilt, and forgiveness. Over the course of a year, Darrah learns how to tilt when unexpected events upend her world. This novel is a gentle approach to difficult topics and is appropriate for children aged nine through twelve.



Readers of Love That Dog, The Thing About Jellyfish, and Inside Out and Back Again will enjoy Darrah's story.

248 pages, Paperback

Published April 17, 2026

About the author

Jone Rush MacCulloch is an award-winning poet, artist, and librarian living in the magical land of the Pacific Northwest. Her debut middle-grade novel in verse, Tilt, was inspired by a tragic event involving a student whom she knew through her work as a school librarian. Not only did the process of writing this novel help her process this traumatic event, but the years that it took to get every poem just right helped her find and expand her community.

Poetry has always given Jone a voice and speaks to her artistic side. She loves to find the words that draw an image to the surface of the reader’s mind while connecting that image to deeply felt emotion. When she isn’t writing, Jone is taking photos, creating mixed-media art, heading out on road trips, and enjoying as much time outdoors as possible.

Reviews

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching NIV. “Tilt is when your life will shift.” Darrah is dealing with her parent’s divorce and her fight w her friend, Lily.She makes a new friend, Jackson. He loves being a daredevil, but something happens.

[Heidi Roemer]

Jone Rush MacCulloch’s TILT is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving middle-grade novel that reminds us how quickly life can change—and how we learn to find our balance again.

Through Darrah’s eyes, Jone explores friendship, family changes, grief, and the many complicated emotions that come with growing up. And then there is Jackson. Although his life is tragically cut short, his presence continues to shine throughout the story. His friendship, his spirit, and the impact he leaves on Darrah make him a character readers will never forget.

Written in engaging, accessible verse, TILT is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Jone handles difficult subjects with honesty, sensitivity, and great compassion, while ultimately reminding us of the enduring power of friendship, memory, and resilience. A touching, beautifully written story that will stay with me long after the final page. -Heidi Bee Roemer

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully told story in verse about a tragic event in the life of some middle-grade students. Based on a real event, Jone tells this story with compassion. However, her greatest achievement with the book, in my opinion, is how well she nails middle-grade students and their search for identity while dealing with unfortunate life events, such as divorce, death, and the challenges of friendship in the tween years. Jone, a former librarian, has real-life experience with students who are the age of her characters in this book, and it shows.

A large oak also figures prominently in the story, and I, as an environmental educator, love the focus on the healing power of nature through meeting challenges and contemplation.

If you are a middle-grade teacher, I would highly recommend this book as a read-aloud to your class. Be aware, however, that there is sensitive subject matter with regard to life and death.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle-schoolers want their lives to be special––good friends, easy classes, lots of fun. Jone Rush MacCulloch deftly brings young Darrah’s life to us in this poignant verse novel. Darrah’s life is no longer smooth sailing, but full of “tilting”, a term Jone uses to show changes for Darrah. Her father and mother announce their divorce, a huge and sad “tilt” for Darrah, and when she tells Lily, her best friend, she doesn’t get the answer she wants, “TILT”. I taught 11–13-year-olds and would have loved to share this story with them; I know they would have shouted, “Yes! That’s like it is!” as I read it. Living through loss and heartbreak is a challenge Darrah needs to face, and Jone’s poetic telling shows the day-by-day pressure with great understanding and heart. I enjoyed it very much and kept hoping Darrah would find smoother paths, as Jone would write, less “tilting”!

[Patricia J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tilt!" is 10-year-old Darrah's world when life goes sideways. And life goes sideways -- when her parents divorce and she and her best friend have a fight. But everything turns upsidedown when her new friend, Jackson, dies. TILT is a novel-in-verse for middle grade readers full of middle-grade emotion. With each poem, we travel deeper into Darrah's frustrations, sadness, and ultimately the peace she finds with the help of her family.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful novel in verse--kind of a modern Bridge to Terabithia. <3